FOCUS Month
- Electioneering Period and the LGBTQI+ Vote in KenyaKenya’s general election is slowly gearing up, with the elections slated for 9th August 2022. Any electioneering period in the country has always been marred with cases of violence, and members of the LGBTQI+ community have been victims of the violence. The political environment of hostility and violence has unfortunately enabled homophobes to act on their hatred under the disguise of ‘ethnic tensions.’[1] Increased cases of violence during this period has forced some members of the LGBTQI+ community to take a back seat,…
- Nothing new under the sun: LGBTQI+ rights as human rightsOPINION Rosa Ojwang 29 July 2022 I advocate for LGBTQI+ rights because I am a black, African woman, who has benefitted from the historical social justice movements, particularly, the Civil Rights and Feminist struggles for equality. I understand my history, and I choose not to merely benefit from the sweat, tears, and sacrifice of prior generations. I aim to use my current privileges to support as an ally the causes of other minority groups, in whose shoes I would be currently walking in,…
Latest
- Electioneering Period and the LGBTQI+ Vote in Kenya
- Nothing new under the sun: LGBTQI+ rights as human rights
- Child Trafficking in West Africa and the Question of Justice: How life under unjust structures weakens efforts to end human-trafficking
- Free and Equal: Towards a Fearless Future for the LGBTQI+ Community in Kenya
Politics
- Is Civil War Coming to Somalia?COMMENT René Brosius 28 April 2021 The conflict over elections in Somalia[1] , which has been ongoing since last summer, has reached the next stage of escalation. Internationally mediated talks between the government, whose term has constitutionally expired[2] and the National Salvation Council (NSC), consisting of the presidential candidates, the prime ministers of Jubbaland and…
- Somalia vs. Kenya – The maritime border disputeCOMMENT René Brosius 09 April 2021 Somalia and Kenya do not have a tension-free relationship. Many reasons for this lie in the conflict-ridden history. The border between the two countries is a disputed colonial legacy. Large ethnic Somali minorities still live on Kenya’s territory, especially in the so-called North Eastern Province. The majority of the…
- Encouraging Renewable Energy Deployment in Kenya – Analysing the Legal and PoliticalToolsANALYSIS Hannah Kadner 12 March 2021 Kenya 2030 – a mission (almost) accomplished. A mission designed to address the issue of insufficient energy supply in the East African country. Considering that Kenya is a so-called developing country (ranking 147th of 189 on the Human Development Index, in 2019) this aim of Kenya`s former president Mwai…
Human Rights
- Nothing new under the sun: LGBTQI+ rights as human rightsOPINION Rosa Ojwang 29 July 2022 I advocate for LGBTQI+ rights because I am a black, African woman, who has benefitted from the historical social justice movements, particularly, the Civil Rights and Feminist struggles for equality. I understand my history, and I choose not to merely benefit from the sweat, tears, and sacrifice of prior…
- Child Trafficking in West Africa and the Question of Justice: How life under unjust structures weakens efforts to end human-traffickingANALYSIS Mitterand M. Okorie, PhD 22 July 2022 A recent report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) paints a disturbing picture of human trafficking in West Africa. Released in 2021, the report shows that 75 per cent of trafficking victims detected in West Africa are children, the majority of whom are…
- Free and Equal: Towards a Fearless Future for the LGBTQI+ Community in KenyaANALYSIS Kilili Nthiw’a 15 July 2022 “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.”[1] Article 1, UN Declaration of Human Rights Slightly over two months ago in April of 2022, the life-less body…
Elections
- Electioneering Period and the LGBTQI+ Vote in KenyaKenya’s general election is slowly gearing up, with the elections slated for 9th August 2022. Any electioneering period in the country has always been marred with cases of violence, and members of the LGBTQI+ community have been victims of the violence. The political environment of hostility and violence has unfortunately enabled homophobes to act on…
- On a difficult mission – Somalia elects Hassan Sheikh Mohamud as the new presidentCOMMENT René Brosius 10 June 2022 In the evening of 8 February 2017, it was clear: Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed also known as “Farmaajo” is Somalia’s 9th president. People in Mogadishu were excited, the streets were filled with joyous pedestrians that were celebrating the feeling of hope which Farmaajo represented. There was no feeling of fear,…
- Light and Shadow in Somalia – How Ahlu Sunna Waljama’a and the Elections are ConnectedANALYSIS René Brosius 12 November 2021 The latest news from Somalia could not be contradictory. On the one hand, the first democratic “one person, one vote” elections since 1969 took place in Puntland, the semi-autonomous state in north-eastern Somalia, on 25 October 2021; on the other hand, there was bloody fighting in central Somalia. Admittedly,…
CONSTITUTIONAL
- Constitutionalism in a Time of CoronaCOMMENT Prof. Dr. Thoko Kaime 26 February 2021 Constitutionalism, the idea that officials must necessarily be circumscribed by institutions that restrict the exercise of state power; continues to face tremendous pressure across African jurisdictions as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to ravage the Continent. As the imperative to protect lives underlines many a government’s response, it…
- The Right to Vote for Everyone?ANALYSIS Melanie Schwarzfischer 19 February 2021 In Zambia every citizen over the age of eighteen years has the right to vote, unless he or she is explicitly disqualified by Parliament (Article 75 (1) of the Constitution). However, not every citizen has equal opportunities to conduct their votes. Especially people with disabilities are disadvantaged because of…
- Land Rights in South Africa – Constitutional Law, Apartheid and Gender InequalityANALYSIS Sophie Stange 12 February 2021 In 2018, the High Court of South Africa delivered Rahube v Rahube and Others a landmark decision protecting women’s rights to equality and land ownership. On October 30, 2018 in the case of Rahube v Rahube and Others ZACC 42 the Constitutional Court upheld the Pretoria High Court’s finding…